THE LIVINGSTONE BIWEEKLY

Every two weeks I write a newsletter from my home in Livingstone. It covers news on conservation from around the region, especially Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. It is not always ‘pretty-pretty’ and will highlight the problems we face in conservation all around southern Africa.

All over Africa we are struggling with the loss of our elephants and rhinos through poaching. This trade is driven by Asian countries. The elephant tusks are used to make jewelry, ornaments and even religious icons. Rhino horn is used in traditional medicine. The latest onslaught is for pangolin scales. Pangolins are the ‘cutest’ animals you are likely to see – they plod around the bush looking for termites to eat, mostly at night. But now Asian countries think that their scales are useful in traditional medicine. Hundreds are being killed every year. This is just three of our animals which are being poached; there are many others. Even birds are captured, for one, the carmine bee-eater for its beautiful feathers.

Anyone who visits an African Wildlife Park has to be aware that there are thousands of people working behind the scenes to end this scourge on our wildlife. They make it possible for our visitors to see elephants, rhinos and all our other wildlife.

This newsletter has been running for many years – probably about 10, I have lost count … It has a large following of conservationists, tour operators and people who just care.

If you click on the links below you will find the newsletters.

Inside:

Ethiopian Airlines to have 45% share in new Zambia Airways, Hook bridge repairs stopped, Elephant Epic on 23 June, Clean-up of Lake Itezhi Tezhi, Equipment for ZamParks for antipoaching, CLZ year’s roundup, Fishing ban on Zambezi at Lower Zam supported, A Window on Zambia – more information, Namibians complain about Sesheke-Livingstone road, New railway link between Zim and Zam, MAPP gets more nets and boats, Last member of the painted dog pack dies, Crocs pile into elephant carcass in Bots, Fish ban from Zam to Nam, Amazing pic of a boat carrying new cranes for Walvis Bay, Lions kill 172 goats in one rampage, New tech for monitoring wildlife, Kingpin Boonchai Back arrested in Thailand

Inside:

Zambia’s borders, Mazabuka Road to be fixed, Work on Zambia’s railways, The Northern Circuit, Island in Lake Tanganyika, More lion cubs for Liuwa, Zambia Carnivore’s work in Liuwa, Mukula log saga, Red locusts in Mumbwa, Chinese nationals in jail, Cholera in Zambia, Batoka Dam ESIA with ZRA, Solar powered bicycles as ambulances, Poachers arrested in Katima, New lodge in Vic Falls, Painted dogs in Hwange die from rabies, Pollution in the Deka River, More Elephants go to China, MAPP works over Christmas, Tourists mauled by crocodile in Matopos, Soisie the Aardwolf, Litter on the coast new Swakop, Fishing ban ignored along the Zambezi, Zambezi Annual Cultural Festival in Kasane, Prince Harry appointed president of African Parks

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas

My header is a striped cuckoo. Every year she arrives in my garden from Central Africa. It is amazing that she finds her way here each year, but she does. She lays her eggs in the nests of a babbler which brings up her young.

My header is from Dave Lewis and his Mobile Safari Company. Dave normally goes to Kafue National Park but now that the rains have set in he is heading to Liuwa Plain. At Liuwa the wildebeest migration has started and the plain will be
covered by 50,000 wildebeest with lots of babies.

Elephants have right of way …
Courtyard Hotel, Livingstone, has had constant ‘raids’ by our elephants as they have decided that, instead of going round the fence, they will go through it.